Overview
Fish Crow: Medium-sized crow with black body and dark, heavy bill. Very similar to American Crow, but call is different. Feeds on fish, crustaceans, carrion, eggs, insects, larvae,fruits and berries. Flies on stiff wing beats, alternates several rapid wing strokes with long glides.
Range and Habitat
Fish Crow: Resident on Atlantic coast from Massachusetts and southern New England to Florida and along the Gulf coast west to Texas; found inland along larger rivers north to Illinois. Some northern birds migrate south in winter. Prefers low coastal country, near tidewater and pine barrens in the north; in the south, prefers coasts and inland lakes, rivers, and swamps.
Topo Map:
Perching-like Body
Listen to Call
Similar Sounding
Voice Text
"ca-hah", "aw-uk"
Interesting Facts
Fish Crows build a new nest for each breeding attempt. The nests are well-made, and one small area may have existing nests from up to four different years.
The latest genetic testing indicates that they are closer to the Sinaloan Crow and Tamaulipas Crow, and are not as close to the American Crow as outward signs would suggest.
They appear to be more resistant to West Nile Virus than the American crow. Survival rates of up to 45% have been reported for Fish Crows, compared with almost zero for American Crows.
A group of crows has many collective nouns, including a "cauldron", "congress", "horde", "murder", and "muster" of crows.
Bird Term Glossary
Author
Gary Owen Dick
Artist
Samira Belous
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